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1. JASCULCA.

BURGLAR ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB] [2, 918'.

1,31 1,233, Patented July 29, 1919.

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ISADORE J'ASCULCA, 0 F MILVAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

BURGLAR-ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1919.

Application filed February 12, 1918. Serial No. 216,782.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Isanonn JASCULCA, acitizen of the United States. and resident of Milwaukee, in the countyof Milwaukee and State of l/Visconsin, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Burglar-Alarms, of which the following is a description,referones being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part ofthis specification.

The invention relates to burglar alarms and more particularly to alarmsin case of day-ligl'it robberies of business and banking institutions.

When a robbery is made the parties in charge are generally covered by arevolver or other weapon by one or more of the burglars and asked tohold up their hands with the intention of preventing any one fromsounding an alarm or offering any re sistance. The present invention isdesigned to sound an alarm without the use of ones hands by the pressureof the body against a railingconveniently positioned behind a counter,oflice railing, desk, pay window or any other suitable support. With thepresent invention the party held up can readily grant the request tohold up his hands and at the same time by'leaning or slightly pushiugagainst the railing with his body can without arousing the suspicion ofthe burglar, sound an alarm at a distant point as in a police station,police box or other place where aid can be obtained.

The invention is further designed to provide a preliminary signal to anyof the attendants in case they should accidentally lean against therailing when it is not desired to give an alarm.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in thenovel. parts and combinations of parts hereinafter described and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims. y

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view of the device embodying theinvention, showing it applied-to a. store counter.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of one of the circuit closuresconnected to the railing showing diagrammatically the electricalconnections for sounding the alarm.

In general the device comprises a member adapted to be pressed againstby the body of the operator, a plurality of circuit closures, any one ofwhichis adapted to be actuated by the movement of said member, and an mgso that pressure upon the railin electrically operated alarm at adistant point sounded on the closure of the circuit.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a metal supportingmember to which tubular housings 2 are secured by bolts 3. A. metal rodor plunger l is slidably mounted in each housing and is normally held inouter position by a coiled spring 5 Within the housing and disposedbetween the member 1 and a stop pin 6 on the rod 4. The inner end 7 ofeach rod is of smaller diameter than the outer end and is slidablymovable within a metal tube 8 secured to the member 1 within eachhousing 2, the shoulder 9 adapted to abut against the outer end of thetube 8 when said rod is moved to its innermost position. Each of theserods 4 has a preferably convex outer end 10. I

The numeral 11 designates a railing which" is shown as a tubular rodhaving 0 enings therein in which the ends of the ro s 4 are looselymounted, said rods being secured'to the inner side of the railing byscrews 12 passing through the railing and the convex outer ends of therods 10. The ends are made convex so asto permit a slight swingingmovement between the rods and the railat any point will serve to pressinwardly t e nearest rod without injuring the connection between therailing and the other rods. The supporting member 1 which carries therods 4 and the railing 11 is adapted to be secured to any suitablesupport, such as the counter 13. and in "such railing 11 to be pressedagainst by the body of the operator. As shown in Fig. 1 the device ispositioned below the edge of the counter below behind the counter sothat when he leans forwardly portions of his body will strike againstthe railing and move it forwardly thereby pressing the rods inwardlyagainst the action of the springs 5. lVhile I have shown the railingattached to a. counter it will beunderstood that it may be secured tothe edge of desks, oflice railings, pay windows in a bank from which itmay be continued to the vault, directors ante-room, etc, or in fact inany convenient location where it may be pressed against by thebody ofthe operator but preferably in such a position as to 'be concealed ornot readily noticeable to a party in front of the operator.

a position as to permit the the waist line of the person 5 Circuitclosures are adapted to be operated by each of the rods 4: when therailing is pressed inwardly. Each of these circuit closures consists ofa fixed contact plate 14 and the rods 4 forming the movable contact. Therods at through their connection with the tubes 8, secured to thesupport 1, are in circuit with a conductor 15 which leads to a batteryor other suitable source of current 16; The fixed contacts 1i for eachof the closures are secured within the support 1 by the bolts 3 in aposition to be engaged by the inner end of the rod l and are connectedin series with each other through conductors 17 (only one being shown)and one of the contacts 14 is connected bya conductor 18 to one end of arelay 19, the other end of said relay being connected by conductors 20and 21 to the other side of the battery 16 whereby when any one of the.closures are operated, the circuit will be completed through the relay.The springs 5 normally hold the rods 4: out of contact -with the plates14: butwhen the railing 11 is moved inwardly one or more of the rods 4will be brought into contact with its cooperative contact 14 and thusclose the circuit through the relay 19'and the battery 16.

The relay 19 controls the; operation of an alarm circuit whichis formedby a conductor 22 connected at one end to the conductor 15 leading tothe battery, a detent switch member 23 adapted to be brought intocontact with the other end 23 of the conductor 22 and connected to theother side of the battery by a conductor 24. lVithin this circuit is avisible signal, ,such as a light 25 and an audible signal, such as abell 26 which are located at a place where aid can be obtained; Thepivoted armatures 27 of the relay 19 is normally held in open positionby a spring 28 and the member 28 has a detent notch engaging the upperend of the armature 27 and is thus normally held open. When however therelay 19 is energized by the clos ing of the circuit as previouslydescribed, the armature willbe attracted and .release the member 23which moves down into contact with the conductor 22 and the current fromthe battery 16 then flows through the conductor 24, member 23, conductor22, light the. relay 25, bell 26 and back to the battery and because ofthe kind of connection used between the armature 27 and member 23 thealarm circuit will be closed until the relay is reset regardless of theopening of the main circuit by a withdrawal of pressure from the railing11. Thus when the man behind the counter or railing is called upon tohold up his hands he may lean forwardly against the rail with his bodythus closing one or more of the'circuit closures which will energize andthus close the alarm circuit and summon aid.

V Under ordinary conditions to provide held in its outer position by aspring 35 disposed within the inner end of the bore 32 and actingagainst the head of plunger 31. An opening 36 is provided in the plate1-1 to permit the end of the plunger 31 to pass through and contact withthe plate 30-. The contact plate 30 is connected by a con ductor 37 to abuzzer 38 or other warning signal, such as a light which is connected bya conductor 39 to the conductor 21.- As

shown in the drawing, the plates 14 and 30 are insulated from each otherand from the support 1. The plate 30 is connected in series with similarplates for the other closures which are identical with that justdescribed. The movablecontact 31 being secured within the rod 1 is incircuit with the battery 16 through the conductor 15.

When the operator presses accidentally against the railing 11 theplunger or pluugers 31 will he moved inwardly against the plate orplates 30 con'iplet-ing the circuit through the buzzer 38 before themain con tact is made to sound the alarm, the slotted connection betweenthe plunger 3hand the rod 4 providing for this. The buzzer is locatedwithin hearing distance of the oper ator so that he is then warned tokeep away from the railing and it also provides a means for testing outthe circuit to see whether the line is working properly. \Vhen theplunger 31 is in contact with the plate 30 the current passes from theb'atterylti through the conductors 21' and 31, buzzer 38, conductor 37,plate 30, plunger 31, through the device to the support 1 and thencethrough the conductor 15 to the battery. Of course the buzzer isoperated when the operator presses inwardly to bring the main contactstogether door which is automatically closed when the railing is pressedagainst. In other words the railing-operated circuit closing device maybe used in connection with diiferent tcrms ot alarm systenn andprotective devices.

1 am aware that the details of construcsaid member and said railingincluding a en 1,'a11,2aa' a 3 tion herein shown and described aresubject to some modification and change and I therefore desire it to beunderstood that the scope of the'append-ed claims I deem to be withinthe spiritof my invention, What I claim as my. invention is:

1..In a burglar alarm, the. combination, with a'supporting' memberadapted to be se-- cured to a supporting base, of a tubular ger havingone end confined in the housing and normally yieldingly urged to its outward limit of movement, a railing pivotally a circuit closure insaidhousing adapted to connected with the other end of the plunger,

be operated when the plunger is moved inwardly, electricalinieanscontrolled by the operation vof said circuit closure for giving an alarmat adistahce .from the operator,

and means for' warnin the operator against accidental operation 0 thealarm. r

p 2. In a burglar alarm, the combination, with a supporting memberadapted to be secured to a support adjacent the bod of the operator, ofa railing, connections tween circuit closure adapted-to be operated wsaid railing is pressed against by the body of the operator, electricalmeans controlled by the operation of said circuit closure for givinganalarm a'ta'distance from the operator, and means for warning theoperator against accidental operation of the alarm.

3. In a burglar alarm, the combination, withfarailing and its support ofmovable connections between said railing and support to permit movementof said railing toward said support when pressed upon by the body of theoperator,'a circuit closure operated by i the movement of said railing,a warnin sig nal, electrical means for actuating sai sigsuch changes inconstruction as come within 5v housing fixed to the supporting base, aplunnal on the operation of said circuit closure to warn the operatoragainst accidental move- .ment of said rail ng, a second circuitclosure,

an alarmsignal at a point distant from the operator, and electricalmeans for actuating said alarm signalon the o ration of sai secondclosure, said secon closure being operated by pressure upon the railingafter the warning signal is given. V

4. In aburglan-alarm, the combination, with a railing and its sup ort,of rods secured to the railing and sli ably mounted on' said support,an-electrical circuit including a source of current and a rela switchesin said circuit including said r0 s to close said circuit when an one ofsaid rods is moved inwardly a 'pre etermined distance by pressureagainst'the railing, an alarm circuit controlled b said relay forsounding an alarm at a distance from the operator when said firstcircuit is closed, and means for warning the operator against accidentalfoperation of the alarm.

5.'In a burglar alarm, the combination, with a railing and its sup ort,of rods secured to the railing and s idably mounted on said support, anelectrical circuit including a source of current, switches in saidcircuit including said rods to close said circuit when any one of saidrods is moved inwardly a predetermined distance by pressure against therailin ,means for giving an alarm at a, distant point'when said firstcircuit is closed auxiliary switches o erated onthe inward movement ofsaid rod of said main switches, and a warning signal in circuit withsaid source of current and said switchesoperated by the actuation of anyone of said auxiliar switches.

, n testimonywhereof -alfizimysignature.

sgmonn JASCULCA,

s before the actuation 1

